CEREAL EXPEEIMENTS AT THE AKEOlSr FIELD STATION. 3 



SOIL. 



Geologically the district was once part of the bed of a Cretaceous 

 sea. It contains manj' deposits of marine fossils which add to the 

 natural fertility. The roUing character of the surface is partly due 

 to wind action. Movements due to wind are still in progress, but 

 vegetation retards the action. Many depressions formed by wind 

 have no drainage outlet. The result of the combined forces is a 

 sandy soil, often of considerable depth, very deficient in humus. In 

 a few localities the subsoil is very different from the topsoil. Clay 

 may be found only 1 or 2 feet below the sand. The natural vegeta- 

 tion is an indicator to the experienced eye of the character of the 

 soil;^ but no examination of land in this district is complete until a 

 few holes have been dug to a depth of 4 or 5 feet. The very sandy 

 lands should not be broken, on account of soil blowing. 



Fig. 1. — Sod broken with a moldboard plow near the Akron Field Station, showing the topography of 



the locality. 



An estimate based on the figures of the Thirteenth Census places 

 the proportion of cultivated land at about 6 per cent of the total 

 area and the proportion in cereals at about 2.5 per cent of the total 

 area. 



CLIMATE. 



The climate of the district is healthful. The air is dry and is 

 usually in motion. Strong winds are very common, but tornadoes 

 are rare. The winters are generally mild and open, but occasionally 

 snow falls early and remains until spring. 



There is a gradual decrease in precipitation from east to west. 

 About two-thirds of the precipitation falls during the growing season, 



' .Sharit/,, H, L. Natural vegetation as an indicator of the capabilities of land for crop production in the 

 Great Plains area, U. 8. iJept, Agr.; Bur. Plant Indus. I3ul. 201, 100 p., Zj fig., pi. 1911. 



